Question 171·Medium·Rhetorical Synthesis
While preparing a report on urban climate, a student has gathered the following notes:
• Urban heat islands make city air temperatures roughly 5–10 °F higher than those in surrounding rural areas. • In her 2014 book Heat Islands, climate researcher Lisa Gartland found an average difference of about 7 °F between urban and rural temperatures. • A recent NASA project mapped city surface temperatures using infrared satellite imagery. • A study in New York City showed that conventional asphalt roofs can be 30 °F hotter than nearby vegetated, or “green,” roofs.
The student wants to highlight how much hotter cities can be compared with nearby rural areas. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
For rhetorical synthesis questions like this, first restate the goal in your own words (what does the writer want to show or emphasize?). Next, scan the notes and mark only the pieces of information that directly support that goal—especially comparisons, numbers, or cause–effect details the question asks about. Then, go through the answer choices and eliminate any that (1) don’t use those key notes, (2) include only background or method details, or (3) shift the focus (for example, from urban vs. rural to something else). Choose the sentence that most directly and clearly matches the goal using relevant information—prioritize relevance and precision over interesting but extra details.
Hints
Focus on the purpose
Underline the words "how much hotter" and "compared with nearby rural areas" in the question. Any good answer must clearly do both: show a temperature amount and compare city to rural.
Locate the most relevant notes
Look back at the bullet points and find which ones mention both cities (urban areas) and nearby rural areas together, and also talk about temperature differences.
Check what each choice actually does
For each answer choice, ask: Does this sentence (1) compare cities to nearby rural areas and (2) tell me how many degrees hotter the cities are, or is it doing something else like defining a term, describing a method, or comparing two city features?
Step-by-step Explanation
Clarify the writing goal
The question says the student wants "to highlight how much hotter cities can be compared with nearby rural areas."
Focus on two key parts of this goal:
- It must show a comparison between urban (city) and rural areas.
- It should emphasize how much hotter cities are, ideally with a specific temperature amount.
Identify relevant notes
Look at the bullet-point notes and pick out which ones actually compare cities and nearby rural areas and talk about temperature differences:
- Note 1: Urban heat islands make city air temperatures roughly 5–10 °F higher than those in surrounding rural areas. → This directly compares cities to surrounding rural areas.
- Note 2: Lisa Gartland found an average difference of about 7 °F between urban and rural temperatures. → This also directly compares cities and rural areas.
- Note 3: NASA mapped city surface temperatures → This is about how data were collected, not about a city vs. rural temperature difference.
- Note 4: NYC asphalt roofs vs. green roofs → This compares two types of roofs in the city, not city vs. rural.
So the most relevant notes for the goal are Notes 1 and 2.
Match the relevant idea to the answer choices
Now check which answer choice:
- Uses information from Note 1 or Note 2 (urban vs. rural temperature difference), and
- Clearly shows how much hotter cities are than nearby rural areas.
Eliminate any choices that:
- Only describe a research method (like mapping with satellites),
- Only define a term (what “urban heat island” means), or
- Compare things within a city (like different types of roofs) instead of city vs. rural.
Only one choice will both (1) mention a comparison between urban and rural temperatures and (2) give a clear numeric difference.
Choose the sentence that best fulfills the goal
The only choice that directly compares urban and rural temperatures and gives a specific temperature difference is:
D) According to climate researcher Lisa Gartland, urban temperatures average about 7 °F higher than those in nearby rural areas.
This sentence perfectly matches the goal: it highlights how much hotter cities are (7 °F) compared with nearby rural areas.